Sarcomatoid lung cancer in a 56-year-old woman

Abstract

arcomatoid lung carcinomas represent less than 1% of lung malignancies, with a biphasic histopathologic pattern presenting carcinomatous and sarcomatous features. The subtypes are pleomorphic, spindle cell, giant-cell, carcinosarcoma, and blastoma. The most commonly affected individuals are elderly males and tobacco smokers, and the tumors develop as an endobronchial exophytic or parenchymal mass in the upper lobes. They have aggressive behavior, resistance to chemotherapy, and 15% of 5-year survival. Complete resection plus chemotherapy or the targeted immunotherapy may propitiate better results. A 56-year-old woman with respiratory symptoms for two years had images of the chest and histopathological findings consistent with a diagnosis of sarcomatoid lung carcinoma. The aim of this report is to increase the awareness about this scarcely described condition.